Sparks of Genius
Have you picked up Robert and Michele Root-Bernstein’s book, Sparks of Genius, since the NAEA conference? My copy recently arrived and I am curious to see how the NAEA Seattle Conference Super Session speech encapsulated the findings of this research team. Most importantly, I am interested in sharing the book with decision makers in my District.
Through an ethnographic approach, the authors explore the thinking skills of the world class, domain changing minds. The much understood and stereotyped form of thinking, called “creative thinking,” is explored. The authors describe creative thinking as having and employing a variety of thinking tools: observing, imaging, abstracting, recognizing patterns, analogizing, body thinking, empathizing, dimensional thinking, modeling, playing, transforming , and synthesizing. As this long list points out and the Bernstein’s write, education is not about knowing about things, it is also about understanding them (20).
The book is calls for us as educational leaders to reassess our goals. Are we asking our top students to achieve thoughtful work that goes beyond the knowing level? Or, as students weave their way towards college, do we provide fewer choices and a narrower curriculum? If our country needs us to develop innovative thinkers, why are the Arts excluded from the formal education of our teenagers? How vocal are art educators on these issues?
Because the book focuses on creative thinking, art educators may feel that we are validated. However, there are other groups of educators who feel that they provide creative opportunities to their students. Ask your Science, Social Studies, and English teachers. They will tell you that they are providing opportunities for students to think creatively. They will insist that the kind of creative thinking that they assign has a larger and more significant impact on students than an art education. Why? Because, they continue to assume that creativity in the visual arts is rare and therefore, should only involve a few.
Now, having opened my copy of Sparks of Genius, I am encouraged to pursue this topic with individuals who shape policy in my District. As a District, we recently reinforced our beliefs that creative thinking is one of our curricular “big ideas.” But, I know that I will need to be armed against stereotype and narrow thinking.
-Laura Milas
Thank you for writing- I look forward to following your ideas- I think great minds think alike and we share alot of ideas. I also think that creativity and critical thinking can be one of the big ideas of a public school curriculum, but when push comes to shove, it's harder to assess, so it goes to the back burner. I am hoping to try to implement in my district, too (where I am the coordinator). Ken Robinson's book "out of our minds" is another great creativity book. Keep in touch and thanks for your writing.
Jessica Balsley
www.theartofed.com
Posted by: Jessica Balsley | April 03, 2011 at 09:08 AM
Thanks, Jessica, for your comments. Assessment of creative thinking has been difficult for school districts, departments, and individual teachers. In my school, we are looking for a number of things that are difficult, but not impossible to see: They include:
•Intellectual ability- the ability to recognize and resolve visual problems
•Task commitment- the sustained involvement and dedication to art/art making
•Creativity- the ability to see relevant relationships and apply these to new or different situations
•Media- An eagerness to explore media for original effects
•Persistence- A high level of diligence and interest beyond their peers
•Love of Learning- Displays a strong desire to learn; asks for additional explanation and instruction
(Renzulli, 1985) (Gaitskell and Hurwitz (1970))
For creative thinking, specifically, we are looking for evidence of:
- Students ability to spot and use paradoxes
- Students ability to see and make analogies
- Students ability to complete visual research and apply their findings
- Students willingness to break from conventional or habital thinking; accept change, ambiguity, and novelty
- Students use of visualization
- Students willingness to use intuitive thinking
- Students ability to communicate through their art, learn from mistakes, and work
(Copley, A.J., More Ways Than One: Fostering Creativity in the Classroom (Creativity Research))
I do not think that we are unaware of what it is we want to measure. But, we do not have standardized ways of generating data. However, could we not use a sketchbook as a data point?
Posted by: Laura Milas | April 04, 2011 at 01:51 PM
Your lists are very innovative and so refreshing to see. I think you could assess all of these things, we just need to get creative with it and yes, a sketchbook can be an assessment piece. It's also difficult to put into words what we want, even when we know what we are looking for. You put it into words very well. Thanks!
Posted by: Jessica Balsley | April 06, 2011 at 07:09 PM
I am a second-year elementary art teacher. I have been reading this conversation and thinking about how creative thinking is best fostered at an early age. I find myself seeking to balance a lot-- expectations of students and the community to produce a certain kind of product, and my core values that insist upon lessons that do not give all the answers, but instead provide a launching off point and some criteria to meet.
I think that art educators are in the vanguard in terms of understanding and fostering creativity, but often struggle with the ubiquitous undervaluation of what occurs in the art room. Creativity and ingenuity are societal imperatives, but i fear we, as a nation, are educating the creativity OUT of our kids, rather than building it. Where do we start? How can we stay true to this goal? Not to approach this in a completely linear way, but is there research on creative aquisition or a hierarchy of skills?
I have been interested in the Choice-Based model and Teaching For Artistic Behavior, but have only partially implemented those ideas, as it would be a big shift in the art program.
Posted by: Rachel Silverman | April 08, 2011 at 03:22 PM
Rachel, Thank you, for commenting from the point of view of an elementary art educator. We are equally alarmed with the growing trend away from art and music in elementary schools. Your comment about educating creativity out of students is well taken.
I like the way that Edwards and Springate, discuss what teachers can do to encourage creativity for young children.
Time, space, materials,climate,and occasions is what, they argue is needed. Here is a link to the article:
http://ceep.crc.uiuc.edu/eecearchive/digests/1995/edward95.html
Perhaps, our research community can point us in the right direction to find solid research on the acquisition or hierarchy of skills needed for creative thinking?
Posted by: Laura Milas | April 08, 2011 at 04:14 PM
Excellent synopsis Laura. This material is both inspirational and very rational & believable. I need to include this material in my course for my UI students (all future art teachers).
Posted by: Elizabeth Delacruz | April 11, 2011 at 11:50 AM